By the way ... I always want to remember and thank those who contributed to Little Hawk. This was a community project, and I appreciate every contribution that went into building this glider ....
Let me start with
Joe Greblo. Joe was kind enough to lend me a much smaller glider (maybe 1/3 of Little Hawk) along with a simulator for our booth at the 2009 "Kick Gas Festival in San Diego. It was Joe's little glider that gave me the idea for one that was just a little more life-sized while still being small enough and easy enough to be safe and convenient. Thanks Joe!!
Then there was
Dino Dinaso who heard my call for a cast-away glider and answered. He donated a Moyes Xtralite 127? that had been used for testing. He didn't ask for a dime ... and he threw in a simulator as well!! Thanks Dino. I hope you enjoy watching the travels of Little Hawk.
Of course, that brings up
Mr. Moyes himself. Without his company, we wouldn't have Little Hawk ... or a lot of other great gliders! Thanks Bill.
Then there's
David Beardslee. When I needed a way to get the glider and simulator from LA down to San Diego, Dave stepped up ... and drove up ... to get it. Dave was also at the festival where we used Joe Greblo's little glider, and he provided the transportation for that effort as well. Dave has a way of putting a smile on people's faces, and that's great for our sport. Thanks Dave ... for so much!!
Then came
John Heiney. John's expertise in hang glider construction was fantastic. He let me use his shop and pick his brain. He was there from the first "incision" I made in the sail all the way through the final swedging of the last wire. He helped with frame redesign, static and dynamic balance, wires, and even some minor sewing tasks. Thanks John for your help with Little Hawk and for many years of friendship.
But John wasn't the only person involved in Little Hawk from soup to nuts. My long time friend
Margie Holland was quick to catch on to the enthusiasm. Margie volunteered to help with the sewing and that morphed into several days (and late nights) of fitting, re-fitting, and then re-re-fitting. I would say that the bulk of the slow, careful, "I don't want to cut this too short" work actually happened at Margie's home. That's where we first assembled it enough (with strings for "wires") to be able to run test it. Thanks for being a friend Margie!!
Of course, when it came to doing the sail work, there was no one who could compare to
Mitch McAleer. Mitch spent at least two sessions with Little Hawk in his sewing loft (or sewing barn). The first round was mostly to help me understand what had to be done with the frame and to get his insights on how to proceed. The second session was all sewing. When I asked Mitch how I could repay him, he just asked me to drive on one of his epic flights from Lake Elsinore to ... the beach! Thanks Mitch, it was a treat to watch your work, and an honor to drive for you.
Then there were many many other players who pitched in one way or another.
Steve Stackable, for example, was quick to donate spare hardware and he even broke open an old Falcon bag to donate some tubes that I needed. Then there was
Steve Baran and a bunch of the Torrey "regulars" who helped just by offering their suggestions and encouragement. And I can't forget
Ken Bryenton who built the wooden cradle blocks and helped inspire the project through his own ongoing outreach at Torrey. They all contributed in one way or another to help build a great little glider that works so well for its purpose. Thanks to the Steves, and to Ken, and to all the other pilots who pitched in along the way.
Well, that's the history of Little Hawk. It was a hang gliding community effort, and I hope it will reward that community by bringing more good people into this great sport. When you look at the faces of those kids, and when you look at the smiles on all the people who've ever touched Little Hawk (or who ever will touch Little Hawk), I want you to always remember the many good people who pitched in to make this possible.
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